Process of lasting boots or shoes



C. F. PYM.

PROCESS OF LASTING BOOTS 0R SHOES. APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1913. RENEWED AUG-29,19l6.

Patented Apr. 18, 1922.

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Witmeoow CHARLES E. PYM, OF DETROIT, TYZIGHIGAILI, .ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNEEENTS, TO

UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, 02 PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A COB- POBATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr, 18, 1922.

Application filed. May 9, 1913, Serial No. 766,471. Renewed August 25, 1916. Serial No. 117,561.

To all to horn it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES F. PYM, a subject of the King of England, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of ldichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Lasting Boots or Shoes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to the ing boots and shoes, and more particularly to that portion of the processes of manufacture known as lasting in which a boot or shoe upper upon a last is stretched or formed closely to the last and into position to be secured to a sole upon the last.

General objects of the invention areso to improve methods of shoe manufacture as to utilize skilled. and relatively unskilled labor to the best aovantage in the different operations; to, enable certain operations to be performed with less hand labor than is now employed, or 1 art of mark Dy more 01' lGSS automatic I113,-

chinery; and to improve the conformation to its ast of portions of the upper that are r hle in the completed shoe, particularly portions fat and adjacent to the edge of the shoe bottom.

In one of its aspects the invention aims to accomplish the desired results by assembling an upper on last, manipulating the upper into conformity with the contour/of the last around the toe below the bottom of the shoe (assuming the shoe to be sole face upward and using the term sole generi cally to include an innersole) and applying a binder around the toe below the bottom of the shoe and securing the binder. This operation, which involves shaping the most conspicuous and the most difficult portion of a shoe, can advantageously be performed by or under the supervision of skilled laborand, in accordance with. further inventions of mine, by the aid of more or less automatic machinery. Under suitable conditions the binder can be made to eifect a molding of the upper at and near the edge of the shoe bottom continuing during the interval between the toe lasting and a subsequent upper and sole connecting operation. The binder also presents a guiding surface for engagement with the machine edge rest during the subsequent upper and sole connecting operation and holds the upper from being pushed ahead longitudinally of the shoe edge by the edge rest as the connecting operation is car ried'on progressively around the toe.

In another of its aspects the invention contemplates engaging the marginal edge of an upper and stretching the upper into substantial conformity with the contour of a con tained last or form around the toe below the edge of the last bottom, gathering the tensioned upper smoothly to the lastsubstantially at the edge of the last and holding the upper against slipping back by a flexible binder applied exteriorly of the shoe bottom and then releasing the edge of the upper, and subsequently securing the upper to a sole and then removing the binder. The operation under consideration deals with the forepart or" the upper, and a forepart form, as distinguished from a full length last,'may be used and the upper stretched thereover and then gathered around and bound against the exterior faces of the form by I the flexible bin der which leaves the margin of the upper and above the sole line free for manipir on in a subsequentuppei"and conectinp operation.

" In a furthcr aspect of this invention inthe manufacture of certain classes of shoes, it, contemplates including, at a convenient time subsequent to the binding, an additional step of forming the free upstanding margin of the upper inwardly and down upon the bo tom face of the sole by an inward wiping op-' eration over the upper edge of the binder by which the upper is held in conformity with the contour of the side faces of the toe portion of the last. This step may or'may not be associated with a concurrent upper and sole connecting operation.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following description and accompanying drawings which fully explain how it may be practised, and the invention will then be more particularly pointed outin the claims. In said drawings, the invention has been illustratedin Figs. 1 and 2 as applicable to the manufacture of any class of shoe and in Fig. 3 is shown a contemplated carrying forward of the invention to include a subsequent step of forming the free upstanding margin of the upper of the shoe shown in Fig. 2 down upon the sole and a concurrent appropriate securing of the upper to'the sole in the manufacture of a particular class of shoes, namely, McKay shoes. It will be understood that in the manufacture of other classes of shoes an appropriate relating of the free margin of the upper to the surface of the sole to which it is to be secured may or may not'be performed as a distinct step separate from the securing operation and the manner of securing the upper to the-sole will be appropriately varied according to the class of shoes being manufactured without departing from my invention.

Figure 1 illustrates one Way of practising this invention with the aid of formed wipers and pincers forstretching and wiping a shoe upper up and around the end of a last and illustrates the step of applying a binder for holding t'hetensioned upper against the surface of the last;

Fig. 2is a perspective view illustrating the work produced by the operations indicated in Fi l; c

F 3 illustrates how the method of this invention may be extended to include steps of overlaying and securing the-upper appropriately in the manufacture of a McKay shoe. i

Fig. 4L- is a perspective view of'& McKay shoe produced by the operations shown in Figs. 1 and 3; and

Fig. 5 is aperspective view of one form of binder which may be used in practising this invention.

In boot and shoemaklng, the upper 1s prepared and assembled upon a last together with a solein' proper position-thereon for lasting. The first step in the process of tee lasting is to stretch, wipe, or otherwise manipulate the upper to cause it smoothly and evenly to conform to the contour of the outer surface of the end of the last. As shown in the drawing pincers, one of Which is shown conventionally at '2, are used for seizing the edge or margin of the upper A and stretching the upper, and wiper plates, indicated at 1, are employed to embrace the end of the shoe and wipe or form the shoe upper up around and firmly against the outside faces or surface B of the last B and, if desired, substantially to the plane of the tread face of the sole C.

The pincer and the wiper mechanisms indicated in the drawings, which may be of well-known construction and arrangement, although l prefer to emplov novel mechanisms fully described in my co-pending machine application Serial No. 635,183, upon which Letters Patent No. 1,274,589 were granted on August 6, 1918, form no part of this present invention and are shown here merely'as examples of means for manipulatingan upper into conformity with the corn tou'rof the last aroundtheztoebelow the edge When the upper has been satisfactorily stretched by the pincers, or stretched and shaped to the last, a flexible binder isapplied around the toe in clamping engagement withtheupper eXteriorly-of the periphery of the shoe bottom or of the last and sole edge in accordance with this invention, and the binder is secured in'position to hold the upper substantially at the edge of the last. A binder which I have used with-success is indicated at D in the drawings and comprises a ribbon or strip having a laterally bent flange D at each end provided with holes to receiveanphor tacks E, Fig. 2, said strip and flanges being shaped relatively for the strip to embrace the side face of an inverted lasted shoe belowthe plane of the shoe bottom and for the flanges to extend inwardly over the shoe bottom for attachment ofthe binder which Letters Patent No. 1,306,121 were granted on June 10, 1919, and is not claimed herein, being shownmerely as one example of means adapted to be applied after the upper has beentensioned for clamping it exteriorly of the shoe bottom againstslipping back when the edge of theupper is released.

The binder can be applied tothe shoe manually by anchoring one endand then pulling upon the other end until the upper is securely clamped and thereafter inserting an anchor tack in the second end. Tprefer, however, to employ novel mechanism'which I have designed for use for this purpose in connection with the pincer and wiper mechanism and which I have claimed in a copending application Serial No. 776,927, upon which Letters Patent No. 1,036,120 were granted on June 10, 1919.

After the tensioned upper has been clamped, as by application of binder D, the devices 1 and 2, used in manipulating the upper into conformity to the cont-our of the toe of the last, may be withdrawn from the lasted toe, leaving the n'iargin. of the upper u istanding and free above the plane of the so e.

The shoe as shown in Fig. 2 is nowready to be subjected to an upper and sole connect-- ing operation appropriate for the class of shoes being made and if in that class of shoes the margin of the upper requires to be formed down upon the tread face of the sole that step may be performed in conjunction with the connecting operation or prior thereto as desired. The binder D molds the upper .to the last atthewedgeiof the shoe and also serves during an upper and sole con necting operation to prevent the edge rest of the connecting machine, such as a tacker or a sewer, from pushing the upper ahead and producing a fullness at one side of the toe as the connecting operation progresses around the toe. The binder, moreover, constitutes a smooth firm surface with which the edge rest makes engagement so that a uniform location of an inseam around the toe can be secured.

The shoe shown in Fig. 2 may be transferred to any desired location for the appropriate upper and sole connecting 0-peration such as tacking, sewing, or cementing, according to the class of shoe being manufactured. In Fig. 3 I have illustrated the usual upper and sole connecting operation for a McKay shoe, efiected by a reciprocating wiper 3 and a tack driver 4: operating through a nozzle 5 and organized, for example, as fully set forth in my prior United States Letters Patent No. 881,4d1, granted March 10, 1908. This or any other r upper and sole connecting operation suitable for the class of shoes'being made may,

however, be performed by hand or with the aid-of any suitable tacking or sewing mechanism.

After the upper hasbeen appropriately connected to the sole the binder D may be removed fronrthe shoe by pulling out the racks E and the binder maythen be used again.

In the manufacture of McKay shoes the laving'of the margin of the upper over the sole from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 may be considered a part of the lasting operation which is separated, in accordance with this invention, from the shaping of the upper to the contour of the last as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The tacking operation may be performed by a less skilled operative than is advantageously employed for the earlier operation, thereby effecting a saving in labor cost. In the manufacture of certain classes of shoes it is contemplated that under some conditions the shoe having its forepart lasted in accordance with this invention as in Fig. 2 may be transferred directly to a weltupper-and-sole sewing machine.

Having explained the nature of this inrention and described how it may be practised, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. The improvement in the art of making boots and shoes which consists in stretching and forming an upper to the upper shaping surface of the end portion only of a last, forming a flexible binder along its length into contact with the formed portion of the upper at the end portion only of the last along the edge thereof adjacent to the bottom portion, and then securing the binder in position to hold the end portion of the I upper in conformity to the last.

2. The process of toe lasting which consists in stretching and forming an upper around and aganist the toe of a last by en gaging the edge portion ofthe upper, ap plying a binder to the upper along the edge of the last around the toe portion only thereof while the upper is held and securing the binder in place, then releasing the edge of the upper, and subsequently forming the edge of the upper down upon the last by an inward wiping movement over the binder and last.

3. The process of toe lasting which consists in wiping an upper over the toe portion of a last and simultaneously stretching the upper by engaging its edge portion above the sole portion of the last, placing a binder in firm contact with the upper along the edge of the shoe below the plane of the shoe bottom and securing the binder at the sides of the toe portion of the shoe while the up per is being held stretched, and then forming the upstanding edge of the upper inward and down upon the bottom face of the sole by'a'n inward wiping movement over the upper edge of the binder.

4;. That improvement inxmethods of making shoes which consists informing an up per to the contour of the toe of a last, then applying a binder of flexible material tightly about the toe eXteriorly of the periphery of the shoe bottom to hold the up-- per, laying the margin of the upper inwardly over the bottom of the last and fastening it while the upper is held by the binder, and thereafter removing th'ebinder.

5. The process of tee lasting which consists in stretching an upper around and against the toe of a last by engaging the. marginal portion of the upper, applying a binder to the upper along the lateral pe-' riphery of the last around the toe portion while thezupper is held and securing the binder in place; and then releasing the margin of the upper and securing the upper to the shoe sole while it is held exteriorly of the shoe bottom by the binder.

6. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in conforming an upper to the contour of the toe of a last, temporarily securing the toe portion of the upper in its conformed relation to the last by applying a binder of flexible material about the toe exteriorly of the periphery of the shoe bottom and securing the binder, fastening the upper to the shoe sole while the upper is held by the binder, and thereafter removing the binder.

7. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in assembling an upper and a sole on a last, working the uping shoes which consistsin Conforming. an

per into substantial conformity with the contour of the last around the toe below the edge of the last bottom, and holding the upper by its edge while applying a binder around the toe eXteriorly of the last and sole edge and securing thebinder in position to hold the upper substantially at the edge of the last bottom when the edge of the upper is released.

8. That improvement in methods or" making shoes which consists in assembling an upper and a sole on a last, engaging the marginal edge oi the upper and stretching the upper into substantial conformity with the contour of the last around the toe below the edge of the last bottom, gathering the tension upper smoothly to the last bottom substantially atthe edge of the last and applying a flexible binder around the toe in position to clamp the tensioned upper on the lateral periphery of the last against slipping baclr, releasing the marginal edge of the upper, and" subsequently securing the upper permanently to a sole and then removing the flexible binder.

'9. That improvement 1n methods of making shoes which consists in engaging the marginal edge of an upper and stretching the upper into substantial conformity with the contour not. a, contained last .or form around the toe below the edge of the last bottom, gathering the tensioned upper smoothly to the edge of the last bottom and holding the upper against slipping back by a'flexible binderiapplied around the lateral peripheryof thelast; and then releasing the marginal edge of the upper and subse qu'elntly securing theupper permanently to a sole and removing the flexible binder. I 10. That'improvement in methods 01. makupper to the contour of the toe of a last,

applying a flexible binder about the toe exteriorlyof the periphery of the shoe bottom to hold the upper and inserting fasteningsat opposite sides of theshoe tosecure'the binder :in place, fastening the upper to the shoe sole while the upper is held by the binder, and thereafter removing the binder.

11'. ,That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in assembling an upper on a last, manipulating the upper substantially into conformity with, the contour of the last around the toe below the bottom of the shoe, and then so applying a binder around the toe below the plane of the bottom of the shoe as to'ho-ld the upper in conformity to the last and leave the margin of the upper at and above the last'bottom free for manipulation in a subsequent upper and sole connecting operation.

12. That improvement in methods of male ing shoes which consists in assembling an upper on a last, and manipulating the upper into conformity with the contour of the last around the toe below the bottom of the shoe and applying to the toe below the plane ofthe tread face of the sole a thin flexible ribbon binder in position to present a guidingsurface for engagement by a machine edge rest during a subsequent upper and sole connecting operation andhold the upper from being pushed ahead longitudinally of the shoe edge by the edge rest.

13. That improvement in methods of mak: ing shoes which consists in assembling an upper and an insole on a last, stretching the upper into conformity with the contour of the last about the toe of the last; temporarily securing said upper instretched position by applying a piece of flexible binding mate-,

rial tightly around the toe exteriorly of the periphery of the shoe bottom and securing by securing means extraneous of thebinding r material, and thereafter removing the bind ing material. I

' In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, CHARLES, F. PYM. Witnesses ANNA M. Donn, LEWIS E. FLANDERS.

Certificate of Correction.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,412,892, granted April 18, 1922, upon the application of Charles F Pym; of Detroit Michigan, for an improvement in Processes of Lasting Boots or Shoes, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 4, line 17, claim 8, for the Word tension read tensz'mwd; same line strike out the Word bottom and insert the same to follow the word last in line 18; and that the said Letters Patent should be read With these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 10th day of October, A. D., 1922.

WM. A. KIN NAN,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents.

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